Version 1.8 of the Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook plugin has been released with the following new features:

- New sync-status interface. This new interface provides progress indicators for address book, contacts, calendar, and email- Support for sharing read-only calendars- The option to cancel import

We have also started updating users of Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook with access to their domain's Global Address List (GAL). This list contains, users, groups, and contacts uploaded through the shared contacts API. It will also include name, email address, and telephone number (support for additional data is in development). The GAL, which will be updated automatically, will also be searchable within Outlook and available offline. Users who had not previously configured a GAL will automatically receive the latest data. Please note any changes to the GAL itself can take up to 24hrs to be in effect.

This GAL supersedes the previous Global Address List functionality, which required that the domain admin deploy a static XML file to each user's computer and configure a registry key. If domains wish to switch from their previous GAL to this new automatically generated and updated GAL, they may do so by removing the registry key they previously set, or setting a new registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Apps Sync\AddressBookSyncValue:Value name: DynamicGalValue data: 1Value type: DWORD